...And a dash of oh-eight

After the midterms but in time for the presidential election, the US Supreme Court will decide whether states can make labor unions ask members for permission before using their dues for political activities.

The cover story of the latest Atlantic Monthly examines how Sen. Hillary Clinton -- who came to Washington in the 1990s as an insurgent -- has turned herself into the consummate Washington player. "The story of Clinton's Senate career mirrors that of her political life generally: a pattern of ambition, failure, study, and advancement… But it also points up her core liabilities as she prepares to move from the New York stage and back to the national one. Maybe one way to frame the question is this: Can a woman who has made herself small enough for the Senate be big enough for the country?"

The Des Moines Register reports that four potential or likely presidential candidates for 2008 will visit Iowa over the next week: Romney, Gov. George Pataki (R), Sen. Evan Bayh (D), and Sen. Barack Obama (D).

Today, Romney campaigns for Iowa Republicans. And Elizabeth Edwards does Oprah to talk about her new book.